ARTICLES

BRINGING E-LEARN

TO LIFE THROUGH INTER

Learning Trends

BRINGING RNING

OUGH INTERACTION

Online classes have become the need of the hour in this pandemic situation. E-learning has been on the peak since the past few months. Interaction and communication are the key elements in learning. Without these two things it is not possible for students to understand and learn easily. Mutual communication is the key element to interactive communication. Exchange of ideas, question answer sessions, etc. are helpful in learning sessions.

The teachers are confident of what they teach when they know the students are gaining the knowledge. It is difficult to know what the students understand over elearning platforms. To avoid this confusion, teachers must hold interactive sessions, which are easier said than executed.

Here are some tips to improve interactivity during online courses:

Set Clear Learning Objectives

At the beginning of every course, setting clear objectives helps both, learners and teachers, to understand where the course leads to. It helps the learners understand the benefits of the course and they will be focused. Setting learning goals adds value to the course. It also significantly helps teachers to create a clear course structure.

Know the Learners

Connecting with the audience is the main goal of any learning program, be it offline or online. However, it is difficult to connect with them if they are unknown people. It would be helpful if a small test or quiz regarding the learners is conducted. It will help the teacher know about their backgrounds, behavior, learning habits and needs. This helps curating a good and customized to some extent type of e-learning program.

Encourage Group Collaboration

Group discussions on the online classes are starters to encourage interactive sessions. Participants can be given topics to discuss or projects to work on. It is possible that even teachers can be included in these group discussions. It helps teachers analyze the understanding level of the students. It is easier to analyze students live in class rather than online classes. The teacher can also lead the discussion and encourage the learners to solve problems collectively via group chats. This way, the teacher can keep an eye on the students. Human interaction gives an opportunity to learn from each other.

Question Answer Session

Online lectures can be bit boring if the participants are not able to ask questions. Involving the learners is important to enhance their activeness. This Q&A round will allow interaction. If it is okay with the teacher, the students can also be allowed to ask questions during the session instead of a separate round. This involves the students in the ongoing topic even better. The other way round, even teachers can take questions every now and then in between the lecture.

Quizzes and Tests

Getting or generating any kind of response from the student or the teacher is a form of interactivity. Including tests and quizzes increases the involvement of the learners. This quiz factor makes the students concentrate and ask any doubts that they have. It is also a fun way to learn for the students and the teachers can also get immediate feedback. It will also show the participants their performance and any need to cope.

Keep Learning Modules Short

Endless study material is the fastest way to disengage the audience. Keeping modules short and crisp will make them interested and respect the study material too. It is easier to connect as well as digest small chunks of information. With people leading busy lives like today, it makes people want to learn. They make it a priority when things work out according to their way.

- Shreevarshita Gupta